Bayamo

Granma - Other Cities and Attractions

Founded in 1513, Bayamo was the second of 7 settlements that Governor Diego Velázquez established in Cuba. Today it’s a midsize city and the capital of Granma province. Built in the colonial style, it has public squares, majestic mansions and a very old cathedral. On October 20, 1868, 10 days after the beginning of the Ten Years' War, Bayamo was proclaimed capital of the Republic in Arms.

2 events of key importance in Bayamo's and Cuba's history took place during the first few months of the war. Cuba's National Anthem was sung for the first time, on October 20, 1868, here, and the inhabitants of the city burned it down on January 12, 1869, rather than see it fall into the hands of the Spaniards. Because of these and other history-making events that took place here, Bayamo is known as "the birthplace of the Cuban nation" and has been declared a national monument.

This area was important in the Cuban struggle for freedom and has a wealth of historic places of interest, including the site where Jose Marti was shot, and one of Cuba's greatest national parks, Gran Parque Nacional Sierra Maestra, to the south of Bayamo township.

Bayamo has a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere and makes concessions to tourism. The town is centred around Parque Céspedes which is a delightful, shady park containing long marble benches and statues of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (called nothing less than the Father of the Nation) and Perucho Figueredo. On the north side of the park is the Ayuntamiento, it was in front of this in 1868 that Cespedes proclaimed independence for Cuba.

On weekend evenings, the square hosts something resembling a large party, with hundred of Bayamese dressed to the nines, socializing and eating rosquitas, the local sweet made of yuca.

One of Bayamo's most deeply-rooted traditions is that of taking horse-and-buggy rides. These vehicles are the most appropriate means for exploring the city's narrow streets and viewing some of its most important buildings and squares, such as the house in which Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (now honored as the Homeland's Father) was born, the San Salvador de Bayamo Parish Church, the Himno (National Anthem) Square, the cathedral, the Revolution Square, Luz Vazquez's Window, Cuban Nationality House and Ñico López Park-Museum.

While visiting Bayamo, take the opportunity to see La Demajagua, Dos Ríos and the Cupaynicú Botanical Gardens, in the surrounding area. They are worth the trip.

Attractions Bayamo

Casa Natal de Céspedes

Next to the Hotel Royalton on the north side of the plaza, the Casa Natal de Céspedes, the birthplace of the "father of the Cuban nation", is the only house on the square that escaped destruction from the fire. The significance of it alone being saved is not lost on Cubans. Today it is a museum. The house has been lovingly restored; the 2-story building holds a chronological exhibit about the Céspedes family, elegant 19th century colonial furnishings, objects belonging to Céspedes (such as his ceremonial saber), and a few odds and ends that help piece together the story of Bayamo's independent streak (including the original printing press that produced the first newspaper of free Cuba, El Cubano Libre, in 1868).

Céspedes is remembered for refusing to trade his surrender for the life of his son, who was captured by the Spanish army; the Cuban patriot replied in writing that all Cubans were his sons and he could not be expected to trade their independence for the life of one man. The Spaniards promptly shot his son Oscar.

Catedral de Bayamo

Just west of the museum and Parque Céspedes, dominating a small open square called Plaza del Himno, is La Catedral de Bayamo (or La Catedral del Santísimo Salvador), an immense, ochre-colored, 16th century church that succumbed to the 1869 fire. Rebuilt several times over the course of its life, the church was recently magnificently restored. It features a high peaked wood-beam ceiling, and above the altar, an attention-getting battle mural commemorating a pivotal local episode when the parish priest blessed the rebel army flag.

This blurring of the lines between church and state was not the only overtly political statement to take place in the cathedral; the first singing of the revolutionary anthem was staged here in 1869. The cathedral is open to visitors daily from 9am to 1pm and 3 to 5pm. To one side of the cathedral, the small chapel Capilla de La Dolorosa (Chapel of the Lady of Sorrows), which dates to 1630, is distinguished by a lovely Moorish-style carved wooden ceiling and fine baroque altarpiece.

Old Sugar Cane Mill Pilar de Jucaibama

This sugar cane mill was owned by Francisco Vicente Aguilera, who was the starter of the pro-independence heroic deed in 1868. Such place was burned down by its owners in 1869, which is a gesture of braveness and patriotism. Today, only its ruins are preserved.

Parque Céspedes

Parque Céspedes is the focal point of downtown Bayamo. It's an exquisite, peaceful square flanked by tall royal palm trees. The light blue and pink building at one end of the square, which today houses a pharmacy, is where the great blaze began. At one end of the plaza is a marble bust of the independence fighter Perucho Figueredo that carries the words and music to La Bayamesa (later the national anthem), which implores followers not to fear "a glorious death" and encourages Cubans that to "die for the homeland is to live."

On the other side is a stately granite and bronze statue of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes. Ringing the square are handsome, pastel-colored, arcaded colonial-style (post-1869) buildings. Had the city not been consumed by fire, in all likelihood it would resemble the remarkable colonial core of Trinidad.

Provincial Museum of Granma

There is a historical exhibit on the architectural backgrounds, a room on natural history, and another one on different developments related to the independence war.